Electric and percussion firing mechanism.



PATENTBD MAY 23. 1907.

W. HLBEVANS. ELECTRIC AND PERCUSSION PIRING MEGHANISM.

ABPLIUATION FILED MAH. 1904.

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ELECT-RIG AND PERUSSION FIRING MEHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9, 1904l 3 SHEETS-SHEET .3.

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PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM BEVANS, Oh BRIDGEPCRT, CONNECTICUT.

'ELECTRIC ND PERCUSSION F'RI'N'G IVIEGHANISNI.

Specification of vl'.e1'.tsrs Patent. l

Application ,ledMay .9, 1904. 'SerialNm .207;130.

'Patented May 28, ,1907.

To Lt-Z whom t mayfconorn':

Beit .known that I, WILL-IAM H. BnvANs,=a citizen `of the United States, residing .at Bridgeport, .5in the county of Fairfield :and `f State of Connecticut, .have invented new :and

' useful drnpr'ovementsin"Electric and :Percussion 'Firing Mechanism, of which the following is .aspeciiication This invention ,relates to .im rovements in ordnance, `and Aparticularly to ing-:mechanisms, the object 4.being to `provide .an lim# proved ffiring-meohanism by means `of Which the gun maybe iiredieitherfelectrically or by .percussion the Lmechanism fb eing so .arranged that should ithe percussiongear fail .to perform its function, the electric-gear .operate Without'nec'essitating the changing ofany part by the gunner or occasioning zthesslightest delay.

With the above object sin view, :the invention consists 'in the .novel ifeatures of oonstruction, hereinafter fully described, ipar- `ticularly ointed out in'the-claims,.and .clearly 4illustrated in the :accompanying drawing, 1in which Figure l is va .side elevation of a gun and mount provided :with my invention; `Fig.

2, a vertical, longitudinal, .sectional view through the vgun-breech; Fig.. 3, an end elevation of the breech-end'of the gun; F ig. 4, an enlarged top-plan `view of fthe :triggersrnechranism, lits ysupport and t'he .operating member interposed between :the trigger and firlingmechani-sm `parts carried by :the breech and block; .5, a side Ielevationfoi1 the same; Fig. l6, a front elevation of :the trigger-mechanism, and Fig. 7, a side lelevation of the same.

.Referring ynovir more v:particularly -to `the drawings, 1 designates lthe gun having a ldrop-block .2 vof the Hotchkiss type, and 3 `the mount. rThe mechanism Vcarried :by ithe block, :as yhere illustrated, `is substanl:tially'the sameas thatedescribed andclaimed 45 in my application vfor Letters APatent ofthe `United States, filed May '9th, 1904, Serial 4number 207,129, 'and consists of-aca-se 4 yf1t- 4'ted in :the lblock from 'the rear vface :thereof 'and lformed With .a horizontally-disposedcasing 5 `for a sliding :spring-:actuated firing-pin 67; :a casing 7 `for an intermediately :pivoted .lever8 engaging lthe iiiringepinyafcasing 9 'for `a horizontally disposed sliding ycoclcing and lockin memfber 10 .engaged .by ithe opposite Aend fthe lever i8 and `ihaving :a notch 11 fomned thereirn, and :a vertically-disposed casing L2 ifor .afslidingspring-pressed lockingybolt d'3 rhaving a projection 14 .engaging v.the .notch fof member '1-0. 'In the ,present Linvenition however, ihe .case 4 :is .insulated from the 'blockby insulating material :L5 iinterlposedbe- Ytween `the sarneand .fthewvall ofthe fblock,and is :also insulated :from the llocking plate that holds the case in osition. Positioned npon the :lower end o lthe ,bolt 1,3 .and secured rv.thereon ibya :nut 1:6, which is `threader'ifon:the bolt, is .aslee-ve 1.7 :carrying a ttoe 18. This .sleeve is inspiated :from the bolt 'by-a bushing 19 of insu ting material. The toe L:carriesa con'taclt-l ece v,2O insulated from Athe fsleeve, vand adapted to engage this `contactepiece of ,thextoe ifoipthe purpose of effecting 4the move- `nient of the bolt i3 #to withdraw its `projection from the :notch .of :meniber 110, :is :an farm V21 alpon a-itransversely-entending `shaft 2.1 mounted in :a `bearing on the*under-.side of 'the;.gu:n-breech1rea1\wardlof ithe block. 'lfhis shaft .also fcarries aan .arm v.22 disposed -oppositely Vto arm 21 against which :a springf pressed iplunger 22 carried by [the gun-v lbreechfpres'ses, to zholdarm 2-1 steady and rrevtnrn it ito normal position :after zit Jhas been operated lto fedect fthe firing of the gun rb percussion. y

A cooking-arm 23 :is provided, mounted upon 'a :shaft extending .transversely through.

the gun-breech and carrying means -on Sits opposite .end rto zbe engaged by #the handlever '24.

As described thus far, the vmechanism with .the exception of :the insulation and =nut 16 is ysubstantially :the same as 'that shown, (described 'an'd claimed, in any application ?be-' fore :referred to.

Shaft .21 Ihas Avon dts \end, :arm 25 having :a iiattenedacontactfportion 26, located, When .the gun :is "Lb attery, close proximity to 'or in contact With the spherical lhead of .a tigp`27 adjustable fby means vof threads lon athe inner :sideof a guardplate 28 attached fto .fa non- ;recoiling part of l.the mount. Attached tto `outer side .of said guard-pl ate is :a Abracket 29 carrying 1a pistol-grijp 30, which a transversely-entendingshaft 31 is mounted,

IOO

said shaft projecting to the inner side of the guard-plate and carrying a laterally extend` ing arm 32, operatively connected with the forward end of the rod 27. This shaft also carries in close proximity to the grip, a trigger 33 normally pressed forward by a coiled spring 34. Arranged in the up er forward portion of the pistol-grip is a bin ing post 34 insulated from the grip, to which a wire 35 is attached leading from the batteries 36 arranged in a compartment 37 in the pedestal of the mount. Slidably mounted in the grip in line with 34 is a circuit breaker and maker 34a to which one end of a wire 38 is attached, the other end of the wire being connected to the nut 16. Carried by the trigger on the opposite side of its pivot from its trigger portion and insulated therefrom by a bushing 39 is a projection 40 which engages and effects the movement of the circuit maker and breaker 34a. the current passes through wire 35; contact maker 39; wire 38; bolt 13; member 10; lever 8 firing pin 6 g and through the primer, back through the gun and mount to the batteries.

The parts being in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 7, a pull upon the trigger will cause the rod 27 to move rearwardly, its tip 27 pressing against arm 25 of shaft 21 and rocking said shaft, causing projection or arm 21 to press upon toe 18 and effect the downward movement of /the bolt 13 to disengage its projection from the notch of member 10. This releases the firing pin which is forced forward by its spring, firin the gun by percussion. A continued pul uponv the trigger causes the actuating-member 40 to move the contact-maker in engagement with the adjacent binding-post 34 completing the circuit, and should there have been a failure in the operation of the percussion mechanism, the gun will be fired electrically.

By removing the binding-post 34 with its wire, the gun may be fired without its electric-mechanism.

As soon as the trigger is released, the spring 34 returns it to normal position, retracting the rod 27 and breaking the circuit.

The block is lowered and raised by the usual Hotchkiss mechanism actuated by the hand-lever, and the firing-mechanism is cocked by the cooking-arm 23 actuated by the hand-lever.

Access may be had to the compartment containing the batteries through a door 41.

VThe platforms 42 for the gunners, movable with the gun when it is trained, form the subject-matter of an application filed April 15th, 1904, Serial number 203,298.

Whenfthe circuit is formed` Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a firing mechanism for ordnance, an electric circuit, a pistol-grip, a fixed contact carried by said grip and insulated therefrom to which one of the circuit wires is attached, a sliding contact maker and breaker movable in said grip to and from said fixed contact and to which the other Wire of the circuit is attached, a pivoted trigger carried by said grip, and a projection carried by said trigger and insulated therefrom engaging and effecting the movement of said contact-maker and breaker to make and break the circuit.

2. In a firing mechanism for ordnance, the combination with the iiringpin and a member for tripping the same, of a sliding-rod mounted upon a non-recoiling part of the mount adapted to engage and actuate said tripping-member, a rock-shaft mounted adjacent to said sliding-rod, a trigger for rocking said shaft, and an operative connection between the shaft and sliding rod.

3. A firing-mechanism for ordnance comprising electric and percussion gears for firing the charge, and operating means constructed and arranged whereby a certain movement thereof effects the operation of one of said.

gears and a further movement, the operation f of the other gear.

4. A firing-mechanism for ordnance comprising an electric circuit, a contact maker and breaker for making and breaking said circuit, a firing-pin, tripping means for said pin, a member for operating said tripping means, and means arranged to operate said member upon a certain movement and upon a further movement to operate the circuit maker and breaker to make the circuit.

5. A firing-mechanism for ordnance comprising an electric-circuit, a circuit maker and breaker, a rng-pin, a tripping member therefor, a sliding operating-member for operating said tripping-member, a trigger, an operative connection between said trigger and sliding member, and means carriedoby the trigger for actuating the circuit-maker and breaker to form the circuit.

6. A firing-mechanism for ordnance coinprising an electric circuit having a fixed, and a movable terminal, a pivoted trigger means carried by said trigger for moving themov- II.i

both of said gears constructed and arranged and a further movement effects the opera- 1o so as to be normally capable of operating tion ofthe other means. both of said gears. l l In testimony whereof I have signed my 8. A ring mechanism for ordnance comname to this specication in the presence of prising means for firing the gun electrically, tWo subscribing Witnesses.

and means for firing the same by percussion, WILLIAM H. BEVANS. and a single operating means so constructed Witnesses: and arranged that a slight movement thereof L, E. BRADSTREET,

effects the operation of one of said means WM. A. WHEELER. 

